Dining Pick of the Week: Island Flavor

PICK OF THE WEEK:

ISLAND FLAVOR

8090 S. Durango Drive at Windmill Lane, 702-876-2024

The taste of Hawaii is becoming more popular throughout the Las Vegas Valley. Here's a restaurant that puts the love of aloha into each made-to-order meal featuring its homemade teriyaki sauce and Asian sesame dressing. Favorites, served with rice or mashed potatoes and macaroni or tossed salad, include beef or chicken teriyaki, chop steak and onions, kalbi short ribs, Hawaiian-style pork roast with Hawaiian salt and cracked black pepper, broiled or sautéed opakapaka (snapper), kalua pig and cabbage, 12-ounce ribeye and Loco Moco, a hamburger patty on rice topped with eggs and brown gravy. Popular soups are Portuguese bean and oxtail. Salads include chicken katsu, fried poke and Island Flavor (broiled opakapaka on greens with sweet potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, crispy won ton and creamy sesame dressing). There is also an 8-ounce hamburger with fries or macaroni salad and fried chicken. You can even find local-style ahi poke, a popular Hawaiian dish made of diced raw tuna with sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce and scallions in a pungent sauce and served ice cold in several variations for $8.95. Entrees start at $8.25. Island Flavor is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. - Jack Bulavsky